Preprints
There are 4604 Preprints listed.
Misconceptions in the application of the Arrhenius equation to plastics - environmental degradation of plastics unlikely below their glass transition temperature
Published: 2024-05-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The term ‘’plastic’’ is derived from the Greek word ''plastikos'', meaning fit for moulding, highlighting the main feature that makes plastics so useful, i.e., their malleability during manufacture, allowing plastics to be formed into a variety of shapes such as bottles, bags and straws1. However, this malleability is temperature-dependent requiring the constituent polymers to be in the molten [...]
Global assessment of directional effects in the inter-calibration of optical satellite instruments with the TRUTHS mission
Published: 2024-05-10
Subjects: Engineering
Upcoming SI-Traceable Satellite (SITSat) missions such as TRUTHS aim to achieve an unprecented accuracy for SI-traceable measurements of the Earth-reflected radiation. These measurements will support the generation of low uncertainty climate records and significantly improve the calibration of other sensors. In such a context, the uncertainty will be limited by the calibration transfer process [...]
Unlocking A Global Ocean Mixing Dataset: toward Standardization of Seismic-derived Ocean Mixing Rates
Published: 2024-05-09
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Turbulent mixing is vital for water transformation in the ocean and sustains the global thermohaline circulation. Despite decades of global observations using different platforms, our understanding of ocean turbulence is still limited. More observations are needed to better characterize the spatio-temporal distribution of mixing to reduce uncertainties in climate models. Marine seismic reflection [...]
Identification of a Potential Geothermal Resource in Colombia through the Application of Geoelectric Methods at the Aguas de Vichy Spring in the Municipality of San Andrés, Santander
Published: 2024-05-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences
The Aguas de Vichy thermal spring (SAN-001), identified by the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) and located in Santander, Colombia, represents a significant yet underexplored geothermal resource. This study is the first to conduct subsurface imaging of the geothermal system, employing Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Induced Polarization (IP) methods to investigate the [...]
A Review of Machine Learning in Snow Water Equivalent Monitoring
Published: 2024-05-09
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Computer Sciences, Databases and Information Systems, Earth Sciences, Hydrology, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
In recent years, the scientific community focused on snow dynamics has witnessed a surge in efforts aimed at enhancing Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) monitoring capabilities, largely propelled by the incorporation of Machine Learning (ML) techniques. This comprehensive review delves into the current state of research within this evolving domain, shedding light on the indispensable role of precise [...]
Unique In-situ Measurements from Greenland Fjord Show Winter Freshening by Subglacial Melt
Published: 2024-05-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Glaciology, Oceanography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The interaction between glacier fronts and ocean waters is one of the key uncertainties for projecting future ice mass loss. Direct observations at glacier fronts are sparse but studies indicate that the magnitude and timing of freshwater fluxes are crucial in determining fjord circulation, ice frontal melt and ecosystem habitability. Particularly wintertime dynamics are severely understudied due [...]
Carcass locations implicate cyanobacterial toxicity in a mass elephant mortality event in Botswana
Published: 2024-05-07
Subjects: Climate, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Life Sciences, Environmental Monitoring, Physical and Environmental Geography, Remote Sensing, Spatial Science, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
The 2020 mass mortality of 350 African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Botswana sparked global concern. These deaths have been linked to cyanobacterial toxins (cyanotoxins) in local watering holes (pans), but evidence remains inconclusive. Our study presents the first detailed spatial analysis that explores the relationship between the ecohydrology of 3,389 regional pans with the locations of [...]
The fate of bars in braided rivers
Published: 2024-05-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
Ancient river deposits are important archives of past landscape conditions on planetary surfaces. On Earth, they host valuable groundwater, energy resources, and carbon-storage potential. Reconstructing details of paleochannel forms and movements refines our understanding of the controls on river behavior under different climate, landcover, and tectonic conditions, and improves predictions and [...]
Non-typical supershear rupture: fault heterogeneity and segmentation govern unilateral supershear and cascading multi-fault rupture in the 2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo Earthquake
Published: 2024-05-05
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology
Previous geodetic and teleseismic observations of the 2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo earthquake imply surprising but difficult-to-constrain complexity, including rupture across multiple fault segments and supershear rupture. Here, we present an integrated analysis of multi-fault 3D dynamic rupture models, high-resolution optical correlation analysis, and joint optical-InSAR slip inversion. Our preferred [...]
“Is my tap water safe to drink?”: assessing a national sample of Consumer Confidence Reports for public health communication
Published: 2024-05-03
Subjects: Public Health
The Environmental Protection Agency requires that public water systems create an annual report for their customers. This report is known as a “Consumer Confidence Report” (CCR) and was claimed to be the “centerpiece” of consumer right-to-know under the Safe Drinking Water Act. However, previous research indicates that CCRs are not understandable to members of the American public; as such, they [...]
Adoption of on-farm water management strategies and its impact on household welfare: Evidence from the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro North Catchment Area, Kenya
Published: 2024-05-03
Subjects: Agriculture
On-farm water management strategies can be classified into technological and non-technological options. While, numerous studies have assessed the drivers of the adoption of conservation strategies, few have assessed the welfare impacts of adoption. Analysis was conducted on cross-sectional farm household data collected from 652 households randomly selected from eight sub-catchments of the Upper [...]
Modeling heat flux in the Beaufort Gyre between 2016 and 2019.
Published: 2024-05-03
Subjects: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Leads are a primary component of heat flux during polar night-time in the Arctic Ocean. During the winter, there is negligible shortwave radiation incident on the ice surface. Instead, open water and thin ice lead formations on the ice are the primary contributors of longwave radiation. In fact, open water leads produce turbulent heat flux up to 600 W.m-2 while multi-year ice is typically less [...]
Earth Science Data Repositories: Implementing the CARE Principles
Published: 2024-05-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences
How do ancient mass-transport complexes influence subsequent failure events? A case study from the Kangaroo Syncline, offshore NW Australia
Published: 2024-05-03
Subjects: Geology, Geomorphology, Sedimentology
Mass-transport complexes (MTCs) are common features in all continental margins. In some passive margins, accumulations of stacked MTCs indicate repeated slope failure, which raises the question of whether MTC emplacement may influence or even pre-condition, subsequent slope failures. Here, we use 3D seismic reflection data from the Kangaroo Syncline, NW Australia, to investigate how pre-existing [...]
Fiber optic sensing for volcano monitoring and imaging volcanic processes
Published: 2024-05-03
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
This chapter describes fiber optic sensing methodologies and their applications for understanding volcanic structure and processes. We assess their benefits for volcano monitoring and offer possible solutions to address their challenges. The physical principles at the basis of fiber optic sensing technologies have been known for several decades. These principles are related to various processes [...]